STAY CAUTIOUS: Rain is expected to begin easing this afternoon, but a CWA forecaster said that if the storm stalls or loops on its approach, heavy winds are likely
Staff writer, with agencies
Typhoon Champi, which caused widespread damage and injuries, and prompted road closures and evacuations across Taiwan yesterday, is expected to continue to bring heavy rain this morning, with up to 900mm of rain forecast for mountainous areas of New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Yilan County, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.
At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi was packing gusts of about 191kph near its center as of 8:30pm, the CWA said.
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu city and county, Taichung; and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin and Lienchiang counties announced a second consecutive typhoon day.
A graphic shows the projected path of Typhoon Champi as of 1:15pm yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Central Weather Administration
In all other regions today is a regular working day.
At 8pm yesterday, the storm was about 100km east of Yilan, moving north-northeast at 16kph, and had maximum sustained winds of 155kph and a radius of 320km, the CWA said.
The storm’s forecast track showed that it would pass just off northeastern Taiwan late last night, turn north toward the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.
Fishing boats are packed densely together yesterday inside Nanfangao Fishing Port in Suao, Yilan County, to shelter them from heavy rain and wind brought by Typhoon Champi.
Photo: Huang Cheng-chia, EPA
CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said the center making landfall could not be ruled out if it “stalls, loops or wobbles from side to side” on its approach to Taiwan.
“The storm’s wind radius is quite large, among the bigger ones in recent years,” he said. “If the storm slows down, the strong winds will affect Taiwan for longer.”
Cumulative rainfall at the Taipingshan weather station in Yilan County exceeded 500mm as of 7pm yesterday, reaching the extremely torrential rain level, the CWA said.
Waves crash against a concrete sea wall along the coast in Taitung yesterday as Typhoon Champi approached Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
Rainfall at the Cuifeng Lake (翠峰湖) and Cuifeng Forest Road (翠峰林道) stations, which ranked second and third respectively, exceeded 400mm, approaching the same threshold, it said.
The CWA forecast that from Thursday, when Champi began affecting Taiwan, through midnight tonight, cumulative rainfall in New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Yilan could reach 600mm to 900mm.
In low-lying areas, rainfall could reach 500mm to 700mm in New Taipei City and 400mm to 600mm in Yilan, it said.
Workers dispatched by the New Taipei City Government remove debris after strong winds brought by Typhoon Champi tore metal roofing off a residence in the city’s Banciao District yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Banciao District Office via CNA
The rain is expected to begin easing this afternoon, it added.
More than 2,600 people had been evacuated from vulnerable, mountainous areas, the government said, adding that thousands of military personnel are on standby to assist with rescue efforts.
The Central Emergency Operations Center said one person was killed and 350 were injured as of 7:30pm yesterday.
Members of the Army’s Fifth Theater of Operations prepare for Typhoon Champi yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Fifth Theater of Operations
The death occurred in in Pingtung County’s Liouciou Township (琉球), where a man was swept away by storm-driven waves on a beach, it said.
Police received a report at about noon on Thursday that the man had been swept away, it said, adding that rescuers found him without vital signs at about 2pm.
He was pronounced dead at about 5pm after being rushed to a hospital.
A person holds on to a streetlight pole in Taipei yesterday to prevent being blown away by Typhoon Champi’s strong winds.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The Civil Aviation Administration said that as of yesterday morning, all of Taiwan’s 262 domestic flights and 715 international flights were canceled.
Flights to and from Taiwan have also been canceled or postponed today, and domestic flights and ferry services have also been suspended, airlines and ferry authorities said, urging passengers to check the latest flight information before departing for airports.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Power Co said a total of 77,498 households across Taiwan had experienced power outages as of 2 pm, of which 58,469, or more than 75 percent, had their electricity restored.
Additional reporting by Wu Liang-yi